


What about a scientific definition of love?

by Ralkyre



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-13
Updated: 2014-06-13
Packaged: 2018-02-04 12:22:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1778965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ralkyre/pseuds/Ralkyre
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It is widely known, that science can't explain everything- but sometimes, not even our own common sense can't help us understand the situation. That's exactly what Carlos is thinking, when Cecil flees as soon as he asks him a question :" Will you be my Valentine?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	What about a scientific definition of love?

**Author's Note:**

> This is just something I was thinking about while listening to Welcome to Night Vale's episode Valentine's Day. There might be some things that are slightly off-canon, also I'm aware of the fact, that the idea itself is hardly original (as I only got into WTNV a couple of weeks ago) and I apologize if you find some similarities between my work and other ones (I didn´t read other fanfictions on this topic before, I just noticed, that the idea was used before :)) Still, I hope you'll enjoy my take on the events of the day full of horrors, terror and maybe...love?

The sun, a glowing orb in the sky, blazing hot upon the desert was- as usual- slowly setting down with the loud, unidentified noises resembling gunshots and the terrified shrieking of empty-eyed children, which always accompanied this particular time of the day.

A couple of black helicopters along with one painted with complex murals depicting birds of prey diving were circling around the town lazily, as though the mundane task of watching over the population of Night Vale was suddenly meaningless, almost boring, and their pilots would rather just land already, which hadn't happened in a while. A long while. They couldn't even remember the last time their feet touched the ground. The pilots sighed in unison, pondering upon the wonder that our world was. Strange lights flickered somewhere in the distance, growing brighter and brighter with each passing moment.

Carlos had been stuck in his lab for two days straight now, in the middle of the complex task of analyzing and comparing results of field tests concerning the supposedly existant house in the Desert Creek housing development. Every single time he and his team members came to investigate it the house just stood there, rudely opposing the fact that all conducted tests, all results obtained from various formulas that now filled the whiteboards proved repeatedly- that it in fact, doesn't exist.

„Nonsense. This is a scientifical absurdity,“ he murmured for himself, staring at the statements from the last field test- which couldn't even be marked as such, as all his team did there was stare at the house and at each other, kicking around rocks and empty cans and daring each other to knock on the door, even offering passing citizens 5$ if they were to accomplish it.  
When Carlos himself was asked to perform this task, he was able to avoid responsibility by stating that such task would question his scientific integrity. Besides, he liked working in the lab by himself. Sure, the equipment was suspicious to say the least- there was a strange, almost fleshy device that hummed quietly when someone touched it, but otherwise offered no utility at all. Then there was this round iron circle with various wires, cables and shards of glass sticking out of its frame, resembling a large mirror. When asked what does it do, his assistant Brian shrugged and said he used it to create beautiful and colorful bubbles.

„ _Extreeeeme bubbleessss_ “ he whispered maniacally, before sticking one finger into his ear, twisting it and singing a reversed soundtrack from the movie Titanic.

Carlos wrote it down, but decided to leave the device alone. Sure, it felt somewhat lonely. The only thing he could look forward to at this time of the day was the evening show of the community Night Vale radio. He wouldn't admit- not to anyone, not even to himself- how much he loved listening to the distinguished, calm, yet vibrant and poised voice of the radio announcer and journalist, Cecil Palmer.

 _My boyfriend_ , he thought immediately. But those words- and all the emotions and affection they carried- appeared pale and dull, incapable of capturing the full meaning of their relationship. Even so, however cliché they felt, they left his mind in a pleasantly shaken, flustered state. Carlos smiled slightly when he remembered that he meant to call him later tonight and invite him somewhere to eat, as Cecil constantly complained that Carlos should really consider not cooking so much pasta all the time, but then shook his head and began to align the permanent markers on the table in an attempt to focus.

He had an old radio in the lab, which he prissily turned on every single evening. There wasn't much to listen to during the day- just the station called WZZ, which only consisted of a young woman's voice repeating an unrelated series of numbers, over and over again. Finally the buzzing from the radio frequency was replaced by the jingle, announcing the beginning of Cecil´s show.

Carlos finally sat down and relaxed with a cup of coffee in his hands, listening to the voice of Night Vale. For a moment, he allowed himself to free his mind from all scientific facts and oddities concerning this town. Cecil, as usual, greeted the listeners and added some life advice that, to Carlos, always seemed oddly senseless at times- but at the same time, fascinating.

 _As Cecil himself_ , he thought, smiling.  
  
„Carlos? Are you still here?“ he heard a woman's voice from behind him. He turned around quickly to see one of his assistants- young Nuan Wei with the short, spiky black hair- dressed in dirt- stained labcoat and preparing an enormous sandwich with leftover ham and cheese from the fridge. He didn't hear her steps, which was odd, but regardless of the fact that human body has a certain weight, mass and length and occupies a certain space at a certain time and therefore its movement is accompanied by the audible response of the environment, the fact that she now stood here was not to be doubted.

Carlos lowered the volume of the radio a bit and straightened himself on the chair.  
  
„Hello Nuan. Yes, I was just concluding our collective research concerning the non-existent house we were studying. I believe you are a part of the group which was supposed to bring in samples of the soil around the structure?“ Nuan looked at him, guilt written all over her face.  
  
„Weell...we took some pretty rocks we found with us, but then Jack said that instead of knocking, we could just throw them at the door, you know. But then he threw some and missed- and he almost, aaalllmost broke the window. And then we got scared and we ran away,“ she stated, still smiling. Carlos sighed.

„All right, I'll write that in the results. But where is the rest of the team?“

„Oh, they'll be here soon enough. Last I saw them, they were trying to convince a hooded figure that Brian was an adult trapped in the form of a toddler AND a scientist, not a child to be taken. Seriously, they have no shame, these ones.“ Then she returned to her sandwich. Carlos attempted to focus on Cecil´s show again.

_....and remember, dear listeners, that Valentine´s day will soon be upon us. And you all know what that means._

„Oh, right, I almost forgot,“ Carlos muttered to himself, both alert and ashamed that it had completely slipped his mind. To be fair, it was pretty difficult to catch up on important days when time wasn't real and Wednesday got cancelled on weekly basis.

Nuan turned around, shock and horror written all over her face.

„You...you forgot Valentine's day? How could you??? I don't...I don't even think I can process it...“ she shrieked suddenly, making weird gestures with her hands.

Carlos looked at her, puzzled. Was it really such an important day to the citizens of Night Vale- not only those with a romantic partner, but to all of them? Or was simply Nuan exaggerating her fondness towards this heavily commercialized holiday?

„I apologize, I just spent a lot of time thinking about...some things and it momentarily slipped my mind.“ Nuan calmed down a bit, breathed in and rubbed her eyes with palms of her hands.

„Okay, okay. Just remember...you don't have this information from me, but...if you have someone you want to...you know...to make it...special. John Peters, you know, the farmer, has opened a small stall in the old town, where he sells Valentine's Day cards,“ she whispered frantically, then dragged her finger across her throat and began to stuff the sandwich into her mouth.

Carlos decided to ignore the ominous gesture and cheered up- he wasn't even hoping that Night Vale would provide its citizens an opportunity like this.

He had vague memories of receiving his first Valentine's Day card, from his lab partner Suzanne Brown back from middle school. It was an advanced astrophysical formula and an anagram which, when succesfully answered, read the following :

 _Love can be explained through vasopressin receptors and the ventral tegmental pathway_.

He should definitely go to John Peters' stall and get one. He was just about to text Cecil to meet him tomorrow before his daily broadcast when loud footsteps and the creaking of the door announced the arrival of the team. They barged in, complaining loudly- but they weren't alone. Between them, a hooded figure floated slightly above the ground, holding Brian in its tight embrace. It was buzzing with strange energy and all the lab devices started to scream or beep in terror.

„Sorry Carlos, it wouldn´t let go of Brian, so we had to take it here,“ said Jack, looking at his feet.  
  
„Č̺̗̙͓͍͐̑̄͗͗̉h̷͍̍ͪͩͥ͑̚i̿͑̆̍̀͏̷͎̟̻l̶̳̩͓̗̝͕͚͗͑͋͛ͮ͂͂̿͑ͅd̸̥͙̲͍͌̃̀̋̐̍ͨ͋ͅ“ said the figure, in a low, spooky tone.

„See? We tried to explain to it that Brian is a full grown scientist trapped in the body of a child, but it just hissed something about violating its basic rights, or whatsit,“ confirmed Nuan.

„Č̺̗̙͓͍͐̑̄͗͗̉h̷͍̍ͪͩͥ͑̚i̿͑̆̍̀͏̷͎̟̻l̶̳̩͓̗̝͕͚͗͑͋͛ͮ͂͂̿͑ͅd̸̥͙̲͍͌̃̀̋̐̍ͨ͋ͅ“ the hooded figure repeated, clenching tiny but obviously angry toddler and distorting the reality around it.

This is going to be another long night... Carlos sighed, turned off the radio and placed the phone on the table, completely forgetting about the text message, and attempted to resolve the dispute.

..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

 

_„This Valentine's Day, as all Valentine's Days, we will prevail- scared, but unbroken. The memorial service for those poor souls, chosen as one another's valentine, will be held around midnight, nearby the clock tower, though none of us know where or when it will choose to appear. And with that, I conclude this evening's show. Goodnight, Night Vale. Good night.“_

Cecil tapped the button near the microphone, sighed with contentment and took another sip of the coffee, which was probably brought by one of the interns since it wasn't there a few moments ago. He then took another look at the mobile phone he kept in his pocket- but Carlos hadn't contacted him for two days, nor did he answer to any of his messages. Cecil hoped that he was all right and thought that he was probably doing some science stuff again- and yet HE was telling Cecil that he needed to relax a bit and not think about his job all the time.

Or maybe he had finally decided to take him seriously and had started to prepare for the upcoming day full of terror, screams and anguish.

That thought was a little bit more self- explanatory and it made him smile. Cecil stretched his arms after long hours of sitting in one spot and spoke to himself quietly, staring at his reflection in the monitor.

„I guess that's what comes with being close to a scientist- not being able to be close to him“

...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

 

Carlos woke up around noon, finding out that he had fallen asleep on the ground of the lab, though he had no memory of how exactly how that happened.

He remembered arguing with the hooded figure, then his mind went blank. He didn't finish any work yesterday, plus the lab was a giant mess. Someone had tossed the equipment around and erased all of his equations from the whiteboard, replacing them with the phrase:

 _„Blood. All around you, though not more or less than inside you“_. Great... He groaned and got up from the dusty floor, blinking into the bright sunshine. There was something...something he should have remembered, something bothering him.

„Of course!“ he shouted, his voice rising in panic. Today was Valentine's Day and he was supposed to contact Cecil and ask him out! Suddenly, he was in a hurry- he just drank some water from the old cup placed near the sink, took one his cleaner labcoats and, as he was leaving, sent Cecil a text message, asking him to meet him near the Arby's. Cecil replied almost instantly, saying that if he was careful, he might manage to sneak around the most damaged parts of town.

He added an emoji of a happy wolverine strolling through a meadow covered with daffodils, roses, grass and bees, followed by an unnoticed deer with a missing antler and pain in his eyes.

Carlos was momentarily puzzled over the phrasing of the text (as well as the exact meaning of the emoji), but didn't inquire further. When he arrived there, he found the street bizarrely empty. Plus, when he focused, he could hear people screaming and begging for mercy somewhere in the distance.

„I should probably look into this, afterwards...for scientific purposes.“ Carlos did manage to get a Valentine's card from John Peters' stall- and he was lucky as well, because it was the last one. It depicted an anatomically correct drawing of a beating heart, with visible heart chambers, arterial trunks and the apex.

It was perfect.

But what was weird was that every single shop, pub or restaurant in the city seemed to be closed. Carlos couldn't find a single place where they could go to eat, so he just stood on the corner of the street, waiting.

After a few minutes, Carlos saw a figure approaching him- this time wielding human features and not a hooded robe, thank god. Cecil was obviously in a hurry, dashing through the street in a not-so narrow line, panting like he had run all the way there. He was wearing one of his tunics- green this time- which were obviously his favorite pieces of clothing. Finally, he stopped just a few inches from Carlos and took some deep breaths.

„I...managed to get here in one piece. It was an adventure, I guess, but let's not do this again,“ he said, his breath still ragged and his face slightly red, sweat glistening on his neck and forehead. Carlos placed one hand on his shoulder, worriedly.

„Why did you run all the way here? Why didn't you use a car?“ he asked. Cecil looked at him like he’d just asked if he really couldn‘t believe that mountains are real- again. „Well, that's how they get you- they stick the cards through your windows, place them behind the windshield wipers. I couldn't take that risk, especially today,“ he explained, but that didn't make Carlos understand much more. But Cecil just lifted his head, looked into his eyes and smiled slightly.

„Also I really wanted to see you, so I thought- well, there are many things that are way more important than avoiding an eternal oblivion which will eventually consume us all.“ And just like that, Cecil put his arms around Carlos' neck and hugged him tenderly. His muscles were still tense from running, but slowly relaxed.

Carlos momentarily forgot about all his research, every formula and every test he had ever conducted. He wasn't even entirely sure what the word „science“ even meant- he was prone to believe that it was some sort of majestic eagle nesting in the highest branches of trees, slowly swaying in the wind...

„I was...I was analyzing some data, and thinking about science and doing some science as well,“ he said in his usual tone- after which he realized, what exactly he had said. Because being around Cecil made him nervous- in the good sense, of course. And talking, or at least attempting to talk about science was the only way he could focus. Of course, he tried his best to maintain his composure and at times, it worked.

And then there were times when Cecil was just spontaneous like this.

Cecil smirked silently and looked into his eyes lovingly once again.

 

_To hell with that. I'm a scientist. I am not nervous, not even slightly. I have vast knowledge in all sorts of scientific theories and stuff. I know what I'm doing. Chemical information from hormones in the circulating blood and a stress response from the endocrine system can't stop me._

 

Carlos thought to himself and slowly closed the distance between them, kissing Cecil softly, pulling him closer.

Time was an illusion in Night Vale, as well as many other things, so it was safe to say that they spent an eternity like this, leaning into each other more and more, drawing short breaths of air during those rare nanoseconds when their lips parted. Carlos felt Cecil's fingers playing with strands of his currently messy hair, as he always did- it was really pleasant.

He considered cutting it regularly- but after he heard him cursing the barber that did it, and cursing in a literal way, he decided it would be better if he just let his hair grow. His palms wandered across Cecil's waist and back, feeling the warmth radiating from his whole body even in the intense heat of the midday sun. Was it just the fabric absorbing the sunrays, or was it his skin that felt like it?

In that moment, Carlos really, really wanted to know that- the exact temperature, the exact texture of the body pressed against his own, his innocent curiosity slowly but urgently growing into a more and more demanding need.

Suddenly Cecil jerked back, like he'd just remembered something urgent, staring at Carlos with a strangely confused expression.

„It's not safe here, we are too exposed. We need to find a hiding place,“ he stated, his voice touched by panic. Carlos was even more confused than before.

Exposed?

From who or what? The street was completely empty.

„Just...just wait, okay? Whatever festivity or...something that's going on, can it wait for a while? I know well that a while is a purely subjective term, nonexistent in objective reality, which doesn't exist, but still- listen to me.“ Cecil looked at him, puzzled by his lack of awareness of current events, but stayed in place, silent.

Carlos took a deep breath, ran one hand through his hair nervously and hesitantly reached into his labcoat pocket .

He then pulled out the card, reaching out to Cecil.

„So...I, myself have always thought that science can explain everything, love included. Neurotransmitters are like serotonin, which provide your motivational and positive thoughts that allegedly play a role in love related experiences. But, I'm not so sure about that anymore...“ He stopped for a moment and looked at Cecil who was wearing that one expression, that no one could ever attempt to recreate- like he was on the verge of bursting into a fit of laughter, but he was really just very happy.

That encouraged him and, as composed and serious as he could be, he continued.

„This phrase, this one single phrase is limited by so much and yet it holds a certain meaning. So, childlishly put...will you be my Valentine?“

And with those words, he handed Cecil the card. It just brushed his fingertips- and Cecil's eyes widened with pure, unaltered horror. His face grew pale like a ghost, his eyes started to tear up and his body was shaking. The card fell on the ground and the wind blew it away. He opened his mouth, as though in an attempt to scream, but no sound came out. Carlos froze in shock.

„Cecil?“ he whispered and reached out towards him. A cold, deep voice made him withdraw the hand immediately.

_„Stay away from me...“_

What is happening?

„Carlos...“ Cecil whimpered, a single tear rolling down his cheek. His face was motionless, absent, like a mask. Carlos was at loss for words and utterly terrified.

„I love you...I really do and I thought that maybe you do love me as well...how foolish I was to think so? Why didn't you say something? We could've worked this out, spoken about whatever issue we had. No one should go through this process, no one“ Then, without warning, Cecil turned around and started running again- this time away from him. Carlos felt like he’d been struck by a lightning, petrified, his bones turned to ash and his mind blank, completely emptied.

The card was floating around in the wind, bright red on snowy white paper, mocking him. Carlos caught it in mid- air and looked at it once more- there was nothing out of place with it. The card was plain, simple, without sensors triggering the release of poisonous gas. Why would he do that? Did he just do something wrong? As soon as the worst shock wore off, Carlos looked in the direction Cecil had run away- but he couldn't see him anymore. His feet moved almost instantly, taking hesitating steps towards the dark alley.

„Cecil?“ he shouted, but of course no answer followed.

He thought about chasing after him, calling him, explaining that he didn't mean it, that whatever hurt him...but how could he possibly apologize for something if he had no clue as to what it was? He was telling himself to move, to just walk, but his mind was full of doubt and in its confused state, it reacted just like a spooked deer to a quickly approaching car- by standing still, frozen in place. The echo of his voice dissipated gradually and the streets were quiet again- well, aside from a cacophony of weird sounds that sounded almost like someone screaming for mercy in the distance. There wasn´t a single soul out on a stroll, all of the buildings were either locked or boarded shut. This obviously wasn´t a normal daily routine, even here in Night Vale. What if that was...

Carlos was starting to feel a hint of connection between Cecil's behaviour and this whole situation.

His message on the radio, his assistant's reaction...

Valentine's Day...turned out to be much more complicated than he initially thought.

Without thinking further, he rushed back to his lab- there had to be something, someone, that could explain all of this.

............................................................................................................................................................................................................................

 

 „Ah. You're home. I just realized I never welcomed you back, because you might get used to it and expect it every time you return. So I probably shouldn't have said that. Let me correct myself: don´t feel too welcome.“

The faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home was just finishing her paper-mache wall decoration, made of book pages which contained the words „life“, „teleportation“ and „venomous“, when Cecil marched inside his apartment and slammed the door shut. He then threw himself at the sofa and covered his face, mumbling something angrily and clenching his fists, but the tiny sobs that escaped him were very audible.

He was as pale as a ghost, clothes disheveled, cheeks still flushed.

„Oh no, dear. I wouldn´t fret over the migration of squirrels. This is not where they should be. In fact, they shouldn't be at all in the first place.“

Cecil just jumped up and started pacing alongside the room's walls.

„I don't understand...why, why would he do that? Did I ever do something so out of place, so horrible, that he had no other choice? Carlos...“ his voice seemed steady at first, but when he pronounced his beloved's name it started shaking all over again.

The faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home had no answers, as the question wasn't directed at her- it never was. It wasn't even an actual question, just a rhetorical one. Cecil stopped near the wardrobe and just like that, he sat down on the carpet, head hung down, eyes staring into the empty walls, the whole weight of his body sinking further and further into the ground.

„They will come, you know. They will come for me. No one knows who, no one knows when or why, exactly, but this is the fate of the marked ones. We cease to exist, forever,“ he whispered. Finally finished with her art, the faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home sat down on the couch, grabbing the remote control. There was nothing good on the TV lately and all of her favorite shows had been cancelled so many years ago... It was dark in the apartment, silence screaming into their ears.

Fragments of non-existent time passed, both of them sitting still in one place, not moving, not talking.

Just...existing.

„There's only one thing left to do,“ Cecil muttered. He grabbed his cellphone, put it close to his lips and pressed the „record“ button.

Taking a deep breath, he opened his mouth. His voice was still ragged, shaking, terrified.

„My dearest listeners, my day has come. There is nothing quite so strong in the human mind as regret and a firm, yet delirious belief that bad dreams are just illusions our brains decide to create and could by no means harm us. I'm recording this with hope that someone will find this message. That someone will safeguard it and allow it to find itself a way to you. To all of you. I don't know how much longer I have and I do not question the infinite void, nor the secret police workers. This day took so much meat, and blood and souls that no one could possibly offer the exact numbers.“

Cecil sighed, his eyes watery, looking at the lit-up screen as the only beacon of light and smiled sadly.

„I admit, I will miss this. My apartment, my recording booth, my microphone, Khoshekh, my illustrious management that sometimes actually gave me my wage... I will truly miss you, Night Vale. And I will miss Carlos. I forgive him. I have no idea what caused him to make this decision and I guess I will never know. Maybe I was being too upfront about things...“

The tiny red dot in the corner of the screen was still blinking, as Cecil´s voice grew colder and more serious.

„ But I made a promise to myself, and that is that should there be a day when I would be to disappear forever, I will tell you everything, listeners. What I know, what I shouldn't know, what you shouldn't know, that I know. Fragments, but all of them equally important, or completely unimportant. You will know what I'm talking about. Listen to me, let my voice form images in your head, creating allusions and abstract ideas, that will someday be turned into acts. Okay. I hope I remembered it all.“

Cecil closed his eyes, concentrating.

„ Here goes...“ Then, someone knocked on the door- that someone was obviously in a hurry. Cecil gulped loudly, turning his head.

„They're here, listeners. They are knocking at the door right now. It appears to be a physical entity, otherwise it wouldn't need to even touch the door, it would just enter. It's almost as if it needed my permission, my consent with what is to come. What if...I don't open? Will they enter anyway?“

The knocking grew more persistent, then it stopped. The only sound in the room was Cecil´s heavy breathing and the static sound coming from the television.

 _„Cecil? Are you there? Please, open the door,“_ said the muffled voice pleadingly. No, not him. Just not him. Cecil grabbed the phone tighter.

„Listeners, I think they are messing with my mind. Creating an illusion of a person we would normally open the door to, just to get to me. So, remember...do not open the door. To anyone, ever. In fact, do not even use the doors. If necessary, enter or leave through windows, or temporary portals.“

_„Cecil? I... still have the key you gave me. I'll open the door, okay? I don't know why you think I came over, but... it's not that. I came to apologize, I understand now.“_

„Go away! I know about your tricks!“ Cecil screamed, covering his ears. It's not him.

It's NOT him.

And even if it were...

A key rattled in the lock and the door opened slowly, letting in sunlight. In the rays of setting sun, there was a dark figure standing there.

„Listeners, they are already here. I was too late, I'm sorry. I...I will probably no longer be able to speak to you.“

Then, the figure stepped into the dim room, looking worried sick. It had the appearance of Carlos, indeed. Cecil couldn't help but marvel over every single perfect detail of his face, limbs, posture, clothing, everything looked just like him- and so it hurt even more.

„Cecil, are you all right? I'm so sorry I did what I did. It's unforgivable,“ the being that looked and spoke exactly like Carlos said and reached out one hand. Cecil didn't take it, so he continued, looking into his eyes cautiously.

„After you left I was confused- scared, even, but then I went into my lab. I thought that there was only one message on the whiteboard, but as it turned out there were more of them. Hidden in the cupboard, the fridge, carved into the walls and windows. When read in a correct order, it revealed a terryfying history of Night Vale's Valentine's Day. They spoke of its sacrifices, its heroes and villains, of unmeasurable fear and horror. I didn't know any of that. Where I come from, this day...“

Carlos tried to phrase it right, but instead he took the mud stained card out his pocket, making Cecil cringe in fear...then tore it into tiny pieces. Paper snowflakes slowly fell on the carpet.

„I won't try to compare it to anything. I'll just say this- you are the only person on this Earth, in the observable universe, in all of possible multiverses spanning across the time and space that I would never, ever in my entire life mark as my Valentine. Even if my own life depended on it.“

Finishing his speech, Carlos gently took Cecil's cold hand into his- this time, he accepted it. Cecil's firm belief that this was an imposter faded with every word Carlos said and after seconds of staring at him, relieved and unbelievably happy, he smiled.

„Carlos, I had no idea...that was the most beautiful thing I´ve ever heard.“ Carlos, for a moment, didn't actually believe that what he‘d said had really had the desired effect. Hearing himself actually say it was even weirder.

But seeing Cecil smile again, then feeling the reassuring weight of his body as he threw himself into his arms once again erased all doubts. It was almost weird, how fragile and vulnerable Cecil suddenly felt to him.

He always seemed like the unshakeable beacon of Night Vale, the strong, ever-vigilant watcher. The calming, omnipotent voice. But he was so much more than most people knew, so much more than he decided to show. Carlos felt privileged, but also worried about him. He placed one hand on the back of his head and pulled him closer. Cecil smiled- he couldn't see his face, but he could feel it. 

„I think they won't come now, whoever they are. This could´ve been considered a retraction of the previously cast judgement,“ he muttered.

Carlos couldn't help but laugh.

Silently, of course.

„You know, there are some places in the world where people spend this day with their partners. It's a day when they either confess their feelings or just spend some more time together.“

„Hmmm...“ Cecil seemed to be deep in thought.

„That sounds nice!“ he finally said and, after just a split second, he added in a whisper:

„I love you...something like that?“

Carlos just smiled.

„Yes, something like that...I love you, too.“ Still in each other's embrace, Cecil inconspicuously extended his hand, and pressed the “stop recording” button.

The faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home just sighed, turned off the TV and glued the table and chairs in the dining room to the ceiling.


End file.
